The kiss grows as we both relax into it. Vaguely, I’m aware we’re in a restaurant and perhaps food has just been set on the table. I don’t care.
He kisses me slowly. It’s not at all how I thought he would kiss. Braxton is brash and aggressive, but this kiss is sweet. Almost reverent. I open my lips and his tongue darts in, just a taste. Every move he makes is careful, tender.
Our lips part, and we hesitate there, breath on each other’s faces. My eyes are closed. I can’t bear to open them. I’m afraid that if I do I’ll wake up and realize this has all been another fever dream.
I’m dazed, but I open my eyes. Braxton is there, his eyes fierce. He leans his face beside mine, his mouth right at my ear, and makes a low noise in his throat. “Oh god, Kylie. I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
I’m utterly frozen. I can’t remember how to speak.
“If you say yes,” he growls in my ear, “we are going to walk out of here right now, go back to my place, and I’m going to fuck you like no one has ever fucked you before, or ever will again.”
My voice is nothing but a whisper. “What?”
“But you have to tell me yes,” he says. “You have to say you want this.”
“Yes.” I’m incapable of any other answer.
He pulls out his wallet and tosses a hundred-dollar bill on the table in the midst of our appetizers. Then he grabs my hand and pulls me out of the booth.
There are eyes on us as we leave, but we’re out the door so quickly they don’t matter. He only lives a few blocks away, so we walk up the street toward his condo. He holds my hand, twining his fingers through mine like we’re a normal couple out for an evening walk.
I’m terrified. What just happened? I was prepared for Braxton to laugh and make jokes, give me a good-natured hug to help me feel better. Maybe offer to get shit-faced with me. I was prepared to hold my feelings in, keep them on lockdown, make sure he couldn’t see what was happening inside me.
Instead, I’m quickly realizing he feels something, too. Something besides a long friendship.
It’s not long before we’re at his door. He takes out his keys and fits one into the lock. I’m bursting with adrenaline, my fight or flight response going crazy.
He pulls me inside, his hand still enveloping mine, and closes the door behind us. He pushes me back against the door, standing over me. He’s a big man, but he’s never made me feel small until this moment—probably because he’s never been this close for so long.
His eyes are all over my face, like he’s trying to memorize me. He holds himself up with one hand, while his other slips around my waist. It fits there perfectly, like he was always meant to hold me.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
I want to ask about Selene. What is she going to think? She’s going to be pissed—we both know that—but I don’t want him to stop looking at me this way.
“What if this is a mistake?” I ask.
“It isn’t,” he says, his voice forceful. Vehement. “It can’t be a mistake.”
I don’t want to lose him. When this ends, when we crash and burn—because this is Braxton and I know how this ends—I don’t want us to be over forever. How would I live without him?
But I’m too far gone to let that stop me now.
He glides his hand up my waist, brushing the side of my breast, up to my neck. He wraps his hand around the back of my head, his grip firm.
“I want you, Kylie,” he says. “I’ve wanted you for longer than you can imagine.”
Words completely fail me. I stare at him; his face is so close, his eyes boring through to my soul.
He takes my mouth with his—fucking takes it, like it belongs to him and always has. This is the kiss I expect from Braxton. Hard. Determined. Possessive. His hand holds my head in a steel grip, his lips firm. His tongue caresses mine, luxurious but forceful. I couldn’t keep my eyes open if I tried, and my mind goes blank. He’s completely overwhelming, kissing me in a way I’ve never been kissed in my entire life. I’ve never felt so open, so vulnerable. So needed.
I run my hands up his chest and grab his shirt, like I need to cling to him to keep from drowning. Our kiss deepens, sweeping me away with its power.
He pulls away and I try to follow. I don’t want him to stop.
“I’m going to show you, baby girl,” he says, running his thumb over my bottom lip.
“Show me what?” Apparently I can still form words.
“Everything,” he says. “Everything I’ve ever felt for you. I’m going to love every inch of you tonight.”
He kisses me again, running his fingers through my hair. Fuck, he’s good at this. I’m completely in his control. He could do anything with me right now.
He leaves my mouth and kisses a trail down my neck. I tip my head back, leaning against the door. His body presses against mine and—
Oh shit, is that—
“Do you see what you do to me?” he says into my ear.